THE CAIC INITIATIVE

Many goals of the initiative have been met through this cross-sector partnership. Since 2010, the ICC has collaborated closely with a diverse set of Partner Schools in Southern California to develop and pilot test CAIC curriculum and implement a variety of implementation plans to meet the unique needs of collaborating partners in each region.

Today, CAIC components include engaging instructional materials and activities for:

• Middle and high school students;
• Parents and caregivers; and,
• Families.

CAIC uses a variety of resources, including free online counseling tools, a team of professional youth development experts, parent engagement experts, and credentialed bilingual school counselors to deliver lessons and implement project activities. To maximize impact and reach, all CAIC lessons and project activities are implemented in partnership with schools, their college access partners, and community partners (including parent leaders, elected officials, business, and the region’s higher education partners). All CAIC lessons can be delivered through community-based organizations, youth development programs, and city parks and recreation programs.

The CAIC curriculum consists of flexible and carefully scaffolded lessons that can be delivered in a variety of settings, including a school, college/university, adult/community learning center, or a public library. All lessons can be offered during the school day, after school, in the evening, or on the weekend depending on the needs of the community and the priorities of education stakeholders. Lessons have pre/post-tests to measure the impact of CAIC curriculum on participant attitudes, skills, knowledge, and the extent to which learning outcomes were met.

CAIC curriculum can be delivered in schools to all students in a grade or a select group of students through a standard 55-minute or 90-minute block class schedule. Due to the nature of the curriculum, some student lessons must be held in a computer lab or a classroom with access to a computer cart and the Internet. Parent and family lessons can be delivered in English or Spanish as a single (60-minute or 90-minute) lesson or as a series of lessons.

When the CAIC initiative was launched in 2010, the ICC began with the development of the middle school component. The first two years focused on developing and pilot testing two CAIC College and Career Planning lessons with all 8th graders in three schools in two El Monte Elementary School Districts. The positive impact of the CAIC curriculum on 3,500 low-income middle school students inspired El Monte parent leaders to collaborate with the ICC and a broad-range of community stakeholders to develop the parent and family middle school component.

CAIC lessons were pilot tested with parent leaders in two El Monte middle schools and representatives from community-based organizations. Additionally, parent lessons were pilot tested with school counselors and parent leaders from 19 Southern California GEAR UP middle schools. The Family CAIC curriculum was pilot tested with El Monte middle school students and their parents during an all-day 7.5 hour Family Academy.

The overwhelmingly positive response to the CAIC student, parent, and family middle school curriculum motivated the ICC to explore the impact of these lessons on low-income, first generation high school students. The curriculum was piloted with high school students from eight underserved regions in California. Given their positive response to the curriculum and request to learn more, the ICC developed a nine-month CAIC Program to test the impact of a series of carefully scaffolded College and Career Planning lessons on underserved high school students and their parents in six Partner Schools in Los Angeles and Ventura County. The intent behind the nine-month program was to explore the impact of the CAIC curriculum over time on participant’s learning outcomes.

Middle School Student Lessons Pilot Tested

The ICC selected El Monte as the site to launch the CAIC initiative because the California Community Foundation (CCF) established a Community Building Initiative (CBI) in that region in 2007. In 2010, the El Monte CBI focused on ensuring that children grow up prepared for school, college, and career success. That year, education stakeholders established the El Monte Union Pledge Compact which provides El Monte Union high school graduates with a seamless pathway from high school to community college and/or university. During this period, many opportunities existed to establish public and private partnerships and enrich a collaborative disposition within the community.

Between 2011 and 2013, the ICC – in partnership with
El Monte educators – supported more than 3,500 middle school students to complete a 110-minute CAIC College and Career Planning lesson in two K-8 elementary school districts. This lesson was designed to take place during the school day in a computer lab with Internet access during two 55-minute class periods over two consecutive days. Middle school principals were asked to identify a course that the entire 8th grade class was enrolled in – such as English, Social Studies, History, or Physical Education – and administer the lessons through that department.

During the first 55-minute lesson, students learned about the following topics:

• The benefits of a college education – including the economic returns on their investment in higher education;
• Academic prerequisites to prepare for college, including “a-g subject requirements”;
• The four systems of higher education in California;
• Options to pay for college; and,
• The El Monte Pledge Compact - the region’s localized version of Senate Bill (SB) 890³ with institutional commitments from California State University, Los Angeles, Rio Hondo College, and University of California, Irvine.